This invention relates to a method and apparatus for unwinding and splicing successive rolls of ribbon type material. More particularly the present invention concerns a payoff assembly capable of unwinding one roll of material, cutting the end of the roll, receiving a successive new roll of material and thereafter joining the trail end of the old roll to the beginning end of the new roll. A drive mechanism for rotating the roll and a dancer for regulating the speed of the drive mechanism are additionally included.
The payoff assembly as used herein is designed to unwind a roll of material, allow the empty core from the roll to drop to the ground, replace the empty core with a new roll of material in the proper orientation and to paste the trail end of the old roll to a paster tab and the beginning end of a new roll such that a continuous ribbon may be supplied to an end use. A robot assembly is used to replace the roll such that rolls may be continually replaced up to a frequency of one every six minutes to allow a continuous ribbon of material to be supplied.